One in four Americans think God helps decide the outcome of football games

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One in four Americans think God helps decide the outcome of football games

O More than half of all Americans believe that God rewards athletes who have faith in Him, according to a recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, and isnít that what Tim Tebow has been telling us all along? That number is 53 percent, and isnít really that shocking. But this one is, at least to me: according to the poll, 27 percent of Americans believe that God actually plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event. Yes, God is waving that ball fair or foul, like an omnipotent Carlton Fisk. Or to put it another way, God spends all day playing Madden NFL 12 with real players. Which means that David Akers must have really done something wrong in his life recently. God seems to be steamed at him.The poll, conducted on Jan. 16, consisted of random telephone interviews with 1,033 subjects. The percentage jumps even higher if youíre a white evangelical Protestant from the South.Roughly 4-in-10 minority Christians (40%) and white evangelical Protestants (38%) agree that God does play a role in the outcome of a sporting event, compared to less than 3-in-10 (29%) Catholics, less than 1-in-5 (19%) white mainline Protestants, and approximately 1-in-10 (12%) religiously unaffiliated Americans.More than one-third (36%) of Americans who live in the South agree that God plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event, compared to nearly 3-in-10 (28%) Americans who live in the Midwest, 1-in-5 (20%) Americans who live in the Northeast, and 15% of Americans who live in the West.

So God tells Adam & Eve not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, knowing full well they would, & banishes them to an eternity of suffering anyway. Flawless.

No, Adam and Eveís freedom is irrelevant to the topic because their decision to sin occurred pre-fall, mansí will after the fall is enslaved by sin because of Adam's fall; so Adamís will was not like ours at all, it may have been free, weíre never really given that information in revelation. However, we are given revelation about our own wills, and they are not free at all.

Ergo, the all-knowing God knew Adam & Eve would partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge long before he even created them. He told them not to partake of the fruit knowing full well they would anyway, & still banishes them & the rest of humanity to eternal suffering.

Ergo, the all-knowing God knew Adam & Eve would partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge long before he even created them.

Yup.

He told them not to partake of the fruit knowing full well they would anyway,

Yup.

& still banishes them & the rest of humanity to eternal suffering.

No, not all of humanity suffers for eternity because Christ suffered in their place allowing them to obtain salvation despite deserving eternal punishment. Not only is God a just god, but also a loving and gracious God as well.

Brilliant!

I think it is, and I am not sure what your problem with it is. A parent can tell their kids not to go out and party with friends, knowing full well that they will still go out and party, and then justly punish them for partying after they disobey their commandment. I have no issues with that, apparently you do. Apparently you think God was supposed to say to Adam, ďWell I donít want you to eat of that fruit, but since I know youíre going to do it anyways, I guess I donít mind and am not allowed to punish you for it, go right ahead!Ē Brilliant.

I think it is, and I am not sure what your problem with it is. A parent can tell their kids not to go out and party with friends, knowing full well that they will still go out and party, and then justly punish them for partying after they disobey their commandment. I have no issues with that, apparently you do. Apparently you think God was supposed to say to Adam, ďWell I donít want you to eat of that fruit, but since I know youíre going to do it anyways, I guess I donít mind and am not allowed to punish you for it, go right ahead!Ē Brilliant.

The difference being that those parents don't control their kid. Since Adam doesn't have free-will and God pre-destined Adam to eat the apple, why should he be punished for it? God made him do it, & sentenced him & the vast majority of humanity to eternal suffering for it anyway. Doesn't sound like a loving and just God to me. It's absolutely nutty.

Furthermore, since God predetermines all that comes to pass & none of us have free-will, that means the fate of every person has long since been determined before they were even born. Whether you're going to heaven or hell has long since been predetermined by God, it's just a matter of moving the clock forward. It's like all of history is nothing more than a scripted play for God's enjoyment, & you're eternal salvation or damnation rests on which part in the play you were lucky enough to get. God predestined some people to not believe in him, & now he wants to send them to eternal damnation though they never had a choice in the matter? So just, so loving.